Arg.os

A Midjourney visual exploration of robotic dogs. A sort of dystopian experiment, at the intersection of product design and animal style. Argos was the loyal dog of Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s epic poem, “The Odyssey.”

Arg.os

AI DOG Exploration

001 — Robot dog experiment / Portrait

001 — Robot dog experiment

002 — Robot dog experiment

003 — Robot dog experiment

004 — Robot dog experiment

004 — Robot dog experiment / Portrait 2

This is a personal aesthetic research project, exploring and having fun with the intersection of new robotic creatures like the Boston Dynamics dog and the influence of the New Aesthetics movement on product design, here half-way in between a F117, a Tachikoma and a Jehuti.

My experiment proposes to carefully balance naturalistic dog features with clear robotic elements to create robotic dogs that are visually appealing and somehow emotionally engaging but without triggering the uncanny valley effect. A phenomenon where robots or animated figures that appear almost lifelike can cause discomfort or eeriness in viewers.

So, here we are. It’s not just man and his best friend anymore; it’s man and his robot dog—on a subscription plan of course. Welcome to the future, where companionship isn’t forged in the wild but engineered in a lab, and for a small monthly fee, you can access the premium “loyalty” feature. It’s not the wolves circling our campfires anymore. No, now it’s mesh-networked robo-hounds, patrolling the compounds of billionaires, warlords and anyone else who can afford that cutting-edge.

Think more “pack of industrial-grade cyber-beasts” than “faithful golden retriever.”

This is the new era of the digital dog experience: on-demand, industrially produced and fully customizable for your lifestyle. Whether you need a tireless sentry for your sprawling gated estate or a rescue unit that never needs a snack break, the future has you covered. But let’s not kid ourselves—this isn’t just a cool upgrade in personal security or disaster relief. No, this is a whole new chapter in the human-animal dynamic, where dogs aren’t just replaced by machines; they’re digitized, commodified and, like everything else, wrapped in a subscription service with updates and new features rolling in every fiscal quarter.

Let’s be real. A pack of robo-dogs is way more efficient than those living, breathing, drooling companions we’ve been stuck with for millennia. Why settle for the messy reality of training and caring for a living dog when you can simply download the “obedience” update? Guard duty? Hand it over to your fleet of drones and robot hounds, all linked together in perfect harmony of surveillance and control. Hunters of the future won’t need dogs tracking scents through the wilderness. No, the hunt will be conducted with algorithms and sensor arrays, streaming in real-time to your augmented reality headset as your loyal robo-pack runs down your prey.

And what about rescue missions? Forget heroic, real-life canines braving avalanches to rescue lost people trapped in the mountain. We’ll have robots equipped with thermal imaging, night vision and the ability to deploy miniature drones like some kind of military-spec Lassie on steroids. There won’t be any wagging tails or warm noses—just cold, calculated efficiency.

But here’s the kicker: it’s not just about innovation or cool tech. This shift reflects something far more unsettling. What does it mean for us as humans that we’re trading in our messy, complex relationships with animals for these polished, subscription-based digital experiences? What does it say about our desire to control every aspect of life, from security to companionship, all bundled neatly in a monthly invoice?

Robot dogs are just the beginning. They’re not merely a symptom of our relentless drive for efficiency—they’re making some of us the new evolutionary hunters, new owners with private guards, rescuers and new companions. Except this time, it’s not about loyalty or mutual benefit. It’s about power, convenience and the cold embrace of digital capitalism.